Packaging system for food articles

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a packaging system, in particular a packaging system for transporting foods, such as pizzas. The packaging system comprises at least three layers of material, wherein at least two adjacent layers of material are welded together thereby forming an inner system defining at least one compartment, said compartment extending around at least a part of a central area of said two adjacent layers of material, and said compartment being closed by a valve means, and wherein the at least third layer extends above or below at least the central area of the two adjacent layers.

The present invention relates to a packaging system, in particular apackaging system for transporting foods, such as pizzas.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

In recent times, the pizza pie (hereinafter “pizza”) has become apopular food dish. Pizzas typically have square or round, flat crustupon which tomato sauce and cheese, as well as other ingredients, areplaced before baking in an oven. One reason for the popularity of pizzasis the wide variety of toppings which may be included on the pizza tosatisfy the diverse tastes of the consumers. Many pizzas are consumed inthe restaurant where the pizzas are made and purchased. However, a verylarge portion of pizza sales occur through delivery where the made toorder pizzas are physically transported and delivered to the customer atthe requested location such as their home or work. Various types ofpackaging systems have been used but most common packaging systemsutilize a cardboard box sized to hold one pizza. Typically, thecardboard box has a square top and bottom but other shapes such ashexagon and octagon have also been used.

Boxes of this type provide only a moderate degree of heat retention forthe pizza during delivery. If the boxes are unvented, an extendeddelivery period can result in a pizza which is both cool and soggy.

The use of paper-board boxes of adequate strength to contain pizzas isrelatively expensive and furthermore, they take up much space duringtransportation, in the pizzerias and with the litter.

SUMMARY OF INVENTION

The present invention offers a new principle for packaging of food, inparticular for packaging for pizza delivery and takeaway.

Accordingly, the present invention relates to a packaging systemcomprising at least three layers of material, wherein at least twoadjacent layers of material are welded together thereby forming an innersystem defining at least one compartment, said compartment extendingaround at least a part of a central area of said two adjacent layers ofmaterial, and said compartment being closed by a valve means, andwherein the at least third layer extends above or below at least thecentral area of the two adjacent layers.

The food to be delivered in the packaging may be arranged on the centralarea surrounded partly or fully by the at least one compartment. Byinflating the compartment the inner system is stabilised thereby beingcapable of stabilising the food to be delivered.

The invention further relates to a method for producing a packagingsystem as defined above, comprising assembling the inner system, weldingthe inner system, arranging at least a third layer of material belowand/or above the inner system and welding remaining seams.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows the inner system of the packaging system shown from above.

FIG. 2 shows a packaging system according to the invention in a cut sideview.

FIG. 3 shows the packaging system according to the invention shown fromabove.

FIG. 4 shows the inflated packaging system.

FIG. 5 shows means for inflating.

FIG. 6 shows holes in the flap

FIG. 7 shows stabling of packaging systems

FIG. 8 shows means for puncturing the inflated packaging system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The packaging system of the invention has several advantages as comparedto prior art pizza packaging. First of all it is possible to produce apackaging capable of supporting the pizza during transport, and secondlyalso capable of being significantly reduced in size, thereby taking upvery little space during storage as well as with the litter.

The packaging system comprises at least three layers of material,wherein at least two adjacent layers of material are welded togetherthereby forming an inner system defining at least one compartment. Saidat least one compartment is constructed to be inflatable, such as filledwith air, by welding the two layers of adjacent material togetherobtaining an air-tight compartment, whereby the compartment is an airchannel. The compartment is closed by a valve means, through which thecompartment may be inflated. It is preferred that the inner systemcomprises only one compartment; however, the packaging system may havemore than one compartment, such as two or more compartments arrangedconcentrically around the central area, or two or more compartmentsarranged serially around the central area.

The compartment extends around at least a part of a central area of saidtwo adjacent layers of material. In a preferred embodiment, thecompartment extends around more than half of the periphery of thecentral area, more preferably the compartment extends around more thantwo thirds of the periphery of the central area, most preferably thecompartment extends around the whole periphery of the central area. In apreferred embodiment the compartment is an air channel around thecentral area.

The ratio of width of the compartment to the width of the central areamay be any suitable ratio for the purpose discussed herein. It ispreferred that the width of the at least one compartment, beforeinflation, is less than half the width of the central area. Thereby, thesize of the packaging, in particular the size of the central area isadapted most suitably to the size of the food article to be delivered.However, the width of the at least one compartment should not be toosmall, since the inner system would then lose stability.

The packaging system is preferably constructed from layers of webmaterial being welded together, whereby the packaging system is flatbefore inflation.

In order to produce an inner system having at least one inflatablecompartment around a central area, then in one embodiment the centralarea comprises at least two holes arranged to allow the width of thecentral area to increase when the at least one compartment is inflated.The two holes through the material should be arranged opposite eachother, preferably adjacent the periphery of the central area. Thecentral area may comprise more than two holes, it is however preferredthat an even number of holes is selected, such as at least four holes,such as at least six holes, such as at least eight holes. Independent ofthe number of holes, it is preferred that holes are arranged in pairsopposite each other, preferably close to the periphery of the centralarea. The term “hole” is meant to include any holes, independent of sizeand form, through the layers of the inner system. Preferably, the holesare in the form of slits when the inner system is uninflated.

The shape of the central area may be any suitable shape leading to astable packaging system. Accordingly, the shape of the central area maybe selected from the shapes of circular, oval, triangular, rectangular,hexagonal, octagonal and a square. It is however preferred that thecentral area is substantially circular.

In a preferred embodiment the rigidity of the inner system is obtaineddue to the fact that when the at least one compartment is inflated thenthe central area is extended due to the holes therein, and beingstretched within the at least one compartment. To enable this extensionand rigid shape, the material of adjacent layers constituting the innersystem is preferably an elastic material. In one embodiment the layersconstituting the inner system are made from the same material; it may,however, be advantageous to provide different materials for the twolayers, for example by providing a heat stable material for the upperlayer of the inner system.

In another embodiment the correct geometry is provided by havingdeformation sites in the central area capable of adapting to the changesin geometry when the inflatable compartement is inflated. Thedeformation sites may be manufactured by means of mechanicallystretching the layers or by means of local thermal heating.

Furthermore, in one embodiment the central area may be provided at leastpartly with one or more inflatable channels. Inflatable channels in thecentral area may provide better insulation properties, and furthermoreany fluids may be collected between the channels thereby avoidingspilling and soaking of the food. The inflatable channels may be of anyshape or size

Accordingly, the invention also relates to a packaging system, whereinthe material of at least one layer of the inner system is heat-stableallowing for transport of hot food articles.

The material of adjacent layers constituting the inner system may beselected from any suitable material capable of providing thefunctionality as described above. Preferably the material is selectedfrom polymers, co-polymers and laminates of polyethylene, polypropylene,polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polyether, paper laminate, andnylon. Preferably the material is airtight, at least for a periodcorresponding to the transport time.

In one embodiment at least the outer surface of the material, or thematerial as a whole is provided with an agent to prevent formation ofdew on and in the package during use.

Furthermore, the material may be provided with an anti-static agent,either added to the layer material as such or added to the surface ofthe material. Also, the material may be surface treated by means ofcorona-treatment or other methods in order to be able to apply text,logos and other prints to the packaging material.

The packaging system also includes at least a third layer extendingabove or below at least the central area of the two adjacent layers. Itis preferred that the third layer extends above or below the centralarea and the at least one compartment of the two adjacent layers. Thethird layer may cover either the top or the bottom of the food articleto be transported.

It is more preferred that the packaging system further comprise a fourthlayer of material, wherein the third layer and the fourth layer arewelded together at least at a part of their periphery, said weldingbeing positioned so that the third and the fourth layer is capable ofhousing the inner system yet allowing access to the inner system.

By enclosing the inner system within a housing constructed from thethird and the fourth layer, the food article arranged on the innersystem is totally covered both on top and on bottom. Furthermore, thehousing consisting of the third and the fourth layer may add to thestabilisation of the inner system leading to a rigid packaging systemwhen the at least one compartment is inflated.

In order to improve the stability it is preferred that the inner systemis kept in a tight fit between the third and the fourth layer. This maybe obtained by constructing the layers as described in relation to FIG.2 with respect to a circular packaging system. The tight fit andstability is further increased if the material selected for the thirdand/or the fourth layer is less elastic than the layers of the innersystem.

The material of the third and/or the fourth layer may be any suitablematerial capable of providing the functionality described herein. In apreferred embodiment the material of the third and/or the fourth layeris selected from polymers, co-polymers and laminates of polyethylene,polyester, polyether, paper laminate, and nylon.

The third and/or the fourth layer may be constructed with a free end,i.e. that a part of the third and/or the fourth layer is not welded toanother part of the packaging system. The free end facilitates access tothe inner system. The free end may comprise a pocket, for example apocket constructed by reversing a part of the free end of the thirdand/or a part of the free end of the fourth layer and welding it to thefree end of said layer. The pocket provides the layer with a function asa reservoir receiving any food material falling from the food articlearranged on the inner system. Furthermore, the pocket may also be foldedaround the inner system thereby closing the packaging system.Accordingly, the pocket may be positioned to extend around the edge ofthe inner system, when said layer is positioned above or below the innersystem. . The form of the pocket may be any suitable for closing thepackaging system.

The packaging system according to the invention having a pocket capableof closing the packaging system is particularly suitable for maintainingthe initial temperature of food articles arranged on the inner systemduring transport

In another embodiment the packaging system is provided with a separatelayer for closing the packaging system, for example a separate layerhaving a pocket as described above in opposite sites for extendingaround the inner system. The layer may be fitted with a reclosablesystem such as Velcro or adhesive.

When providing the packaging system with a closing layer it may beadvantageous to provide perforations or other types of holes in theclosing layer thereby providing capabilities for allowing any steam toescape the packaging system while preferably maintaining the food insideat its desired temperature. The holes may be provided by any suitablemeans such as selective heating, mechanically using for example brushesor punching. The form of the holes may be any suitable form.

In one embodiment, the packaging system according to the inventionfurther comprises a fifth layer of material, said fifth layer beingpositioned between the third layer and the inner system. The fifth layermay for example be an absorptive layer, whereby the packaging system isparticular suited for transporting hot food articles, since theabsorptive fifth layer may absorb any condensed moisture in thepackaging.

The packaging system according to the invention is preferably storedun-inflated, to be inflated after arranging the food article on thecentral area of the inner system. Inflation is preferably carried out byinserting air into the at least one compartment. Air may be insertedthrough at least one valve means into the at least one compartment, saidvalve means being any suitable valve means. In a preferred embodimentthe valve means is constituted by one or two flaps of material connectedto the inner system, space between said flaps communicating with theinterior of the at least one compartment. After inflation the flaps areclosed, for example by being welded together. In a preferred embodimentthe inflation is conducted with an instrument capable of welding theflaps after inflation.

In one embodiment the inflation and welding may be performed in oneoperation by means of an apparatus capable of inflation and welding.Thereby, it is also possible to standardize correct inflation, such asby means of volume or pressure.

In another embodiment the flaps consist of a reclosable valve so thatthe packaging system can be inflated and deflated more than once.

The packaging system according to the invention may be used fortransport and delivery of a variety of food articles, such as pizzas,hamburgers, cakes, pancakes, tarts, soups, ice cream and other full hot,cold and tempered meals.

The food article is preferably arranged on the central area of the innersystem, after which the at least one compartment is inflated, andoptionally a pocket of either the third and/or the fourth layer isfolded around the inner system closing the packaging system. Aftertransport and delivery the packaging system is opened, and the foodarticle may be consumed. The packaging system may be deflated before orafter removing the food article. The deflation may be carried out by anysuitable means, for example by puncturing the at least one compartmentwith a knife or a fork.

Due to the design of the packaging system and the materials selectedtherefor, the space taken up by the packaging system before and afteruse is much smaller than with previously known boxes. Furthermore, thepackaging system may be constructed from material leading to lesspollution of the environment when destroyed after use. The material usedmay be less energy consuming to manufacture leading to less energy use.

The packaging system is preferably made of materials provided as webmaterial, whereby the inner system as well as the housing may beproduced in a process line capable of welding the material in thepredetermined form and cutting away excess material. It is preferredthat all layers of the packaging system are assembled in the processline, for example by assembling the inner system and welding the innersystem and subsequently arranging the other layers below and above theinner system and welding the remaining parts.

Furthermore, the packaging system according to the invention may beprovided with means for stabling two or more packaging system in astable manner. In one embodiment a stabling device, such as a wedgeformed device may be inserted between two packaging system at two ormore positions. In another embodiment the packaging system is providedwith projections and corresponding cavities so that projections in onepackaging system fits into cavities in the adjacent packaging system.The cavities may in one embodiment be the space between two neighbouringprojections. The means for stabling may allow for a space between eachpackaging system thereby providing possibilities for excess steam toescape. When providing means for stabling each packaging system may beconsidered the closing means for the packaging system underneath, andconsequently only the top packaging system may need its own closingmeans.

The packaging system according to the invention may be provided withdifferent means for punctioning the packaging system after use, such asa slot for easy tearing until puncture occurs is provided, as well as aperforated foil for easy tearing until puncture occurs. In additionhereto the packaging system may be provided with a marked spot forperforation with a sharp object such as a fork. All the different meansmay co-exist in one packaging system, or the packaging system maycomprise only one type of means for puncturing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Reference Signs in the Figures

1 packaging system

2 inner system

3 layer of adjacent layers

4 compartment

5 central area

6 hole in central area

7 third layer

8 fourth layer

9 pocket

10 valve

11 fifth layer

12 connection of the two adjacent layers

13 connection between housing and inner system

14 flap

15 free end

16 channel

17 folding line

18 means for inflation

19 means for closing valve

20 a, 20 b, 20 c different types of holes in flap

21 projection

22 cavity

23 slot for easy tearing

24 perforated foil for easy tearing

25 marked spot

26 feeding channel

27 expandable area

FIG. 1 shows the inner system 2 of a packaging system 1 according to theinvention before inflation. The inner system 2 comprises a compartment 4being an air channel extending around the periphery of the central area5. The central area 5 has six holes 6 allowing the central area 5 toextend when the compartment 4 is inflated. The size of the central area5 is preferably adapted to the size of the food article to betransported in the packaging system 1.

FIG. 2 shows a cut view through the packaging system 1 of the invention.The inner system 2 is inflated showing the compartment 4 filled withair. Within the inflated compartment 4 the central area 5 is extended.As may be seen from the FIG. 2, the central area 5 is constructed fromthe two adjacent layers 3′, 3″ forming the inner system 2. The twoadjacent layers 3′, 3″ are welded together at connection 12′, 12″thereby forming the compartment 4. The inner system 2 is arranged in ahousing of third layer 7 and fourth layer 8 welded together. As may beseen from the FIG. 2 the dimension of the housing of the third layer 7and the fourth layer 8 is adapted to the dimension of the inner system2, so that the inner system 2 is kept in a tight fit within the housing.In a preferred embodiment the layers of the housing are connected to theinner system at least in one connection 13, for example by a commonwelded seam. It is however preferred that only one or a few points ofconnections be provided to enable the tight fit described above.

In FIG. 2 a fifth layer 11 is provided between the third layer 7 and theinner system 2.

FIG. 3 shows the packaging system 1 according to the invention beforeinflation. The inner system 2 is shown in broken lines within thehousing constituted by the third layer 7 and the fourth layer 8. A valve10 is provided between two flaps 14 of the inner system. After inflationthe valve may be closed by welding a seam on the flaps. In thisembodiment the third layer 7 and the fourth layer 8 extend over theinner system with a free end 15. The housing is connected to the innersystem 2 at points of connection 13′, 13″.

FIG. 4 shows the packaging system 1 according to the invention afterinflation through valve 10 into. The central area 5 is provided withinflated channels 16. Furthermore, the packaging system 1 is providedwith a flap 14 for closing the packaging system by folding in foldingline 17. A pocket 9 is provided in the free end 15. A feeding channel 26allows air to pass on to the channels 16. The central area 5 is equippedwith an expandable area 27.

FIG. 5 shows an example of inflating the compartment 4 through valve 10by means of inflation 18 and subsequently closing the valve 10 bewelding means 19.

FIG. 6 shows different types of holes 20 a, 20 b, and 20 c in the flap14.

FIG. 7 shows stabling of two packaging systems according to theinvention, wherein projections 21 fits into cavities 22 in the belowpackaging system.

FIG. 8 shows different means for punctioning the packaging system afteruse, wherein a slot 23 for easy tearing until puncture occurs isprovided, as well as a perforated foil 24 for easy tearing untilpuncture occurs. In addition hereto is a marked spot 25 for perforationwith a sharp object such as a fork. All the different means may co-existin one packaging system, or the packaging system may comprise only onetype of means for puncturing.

1. A packaging system comprising at least three layers of material,wherein at least two adjacent layers of material are welded togetherthereby forming an inner system defining at least one compartment, saidcompartment extending around at least a part of a central area of saidtwo adjacent layers of material, and said compartment being closed by avalve means, and wherein the at least third layer extends above or belowat least the central area of the two adjacent layers, and wherein thecentral area is capable of adapting to changes in geometry throughdeformation sites or through at least two holes.
 2. The packaging systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the at least one compartment is an airchannel.
 3. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the atleast one compartment is an air channel extending around the centralarea.
 4. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the width ofthe at least one compartment, before inflation, is less than half thewidth of the central area.
 5. The packaging system according to claim 1,wherein the central area comprises at least two holes arranged to allowthe width of the central area to increase when the at least onecompartment is inflated.
 6. The packaging system according to claim 1,wherein the shape of the central area is selected from the shapes ofcircular, oval, triangular, rectangular, hexagonal, octagonal and asquare,
 7. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the thirdlayer extends above or below the central area and the at least onecompartment of the two adjacent layers.
 8. The packaging systemaccording to claim 1, further comprising a fourth layer of material,wherein the third layer and the fourth layer are welded together atleast at a part of their periphery, said welding being positioned sothat the third and the fourth layer is capable of housing the innersystem.
 9. The packaging system according to claim 8, wherein the innersystem is kept in a tight fit between the third and the fourth layer.10. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the material ofadjacent layers constituting the inner system is an elastic material.11. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the material ofadjacent layers constituting the inner system is selected from the groupconsisting of polymers, co-polymers and laminates of polyethylene,polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyester, polyether, paperlaminate, and nylon.
 12. The packaging system according to claim 1,wherein the material of at least one layer of the inner system is heatstable.
 13. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein the thirdand/or the fourth layer is less elastic than the layers of the innersystem.
 14. The packaging system according to claim 1, wherein thematerial of the third and/or the fourth layer is selected from the groupconsisting of polymers, co-polymers and laminates of polyethylene,polyester, polyether, paper laminate, and nylon.
 15. The packagingsystem according to claim 1, further comprising a fifth layer ofmaterial, said fifth layer being positioned between the third layer andthe inner system.
 16. The packaging system according to claim 15,wherein the fifth layer is an absorptive layer.
 17. The packaging systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the third and/or the fourth layer has afree end comprising a pocket, said pocket being positioned to extendaround the edge of the inner system, when said layer is positioned aboveor below the inner system.
 18. The packaging system according to claim1, wherein the valve means is constituted by one or two flaps ofmaterial connected to the inner system, said flaps communicating withthe interior of the at least one compartment, and said flaps capable ofbeing closed after inflation.